


Begin Again

by scorbusrights



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Albus Severus Potter - Freeform, Gen, Rose and Albus ARE best friends!!!, ccfandom, is a character that deserves more love and recognition, loves his family a lot but has difficulties expressing it, rose granger weasley - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26900959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scorbusrights/pseuds/scorbusrights
Summary: Rose Granger-Weasley and Albus Severus Potter used to be best friends while growing up. But ever since their years at Hogwarts started, things started to change. As did their friendship. Rose tried her best to live up to her family name, trying to live up to the expectation that had been set for her. Meanwhile Albus got caught up in time-travelling and his difficult relationship with his father. During those years they lost track of each other but this Christmas is all about the Weasley cousins getting together and, hopefully, about new beginnings.
Relationships: Albus Severus Potter & Rose Granger-Weasley, and a whole bunch of other Weasley cousins
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	Begin Again

Rose takes off her scarf and winter coat, wet from the snow falling down from the clear skies. Her nose and cheeks are red from the cold winter air as she hangs them from the end of her bed to dry. She had just returned from a winter walk with Lily Luna, Roxanne and Molly. It had taken a lot of effort to get Roxanne to leave the warmth of the Slytherin common room. But eventually she gave in and joined them on their walk to ring in their Christmas morning. Christmas morning spent at Hogwarts. 

Normally she’d be at home. Her mother would have called Hugo and her downstairs, greeting them with a wide smile and two mugs of hot chocolate and she would have kissed her mother's cheek as she gratefully took the warm mug from her. Closing her eyes as she inhaled the sweet scent of the chocolate. 

But they knew Albus had been through a lot and Headmistress McGonagall had cancelled Christmas at home for him. None of the cousins knew _what_ he had been through except for James, but knowing Albus had struggled was enough for the Weasley cousins to know he needed them right now. Even if he didn’t realise it himself or wouldn’t say that out loud. So it had been Rose’s idea for everyone to stay at Hogwarts, to stay and celebrate Christmas with Albus. Her cousins and little brother had wholeheartedly agreed with the idea. 

It had been heartbreaking to see Albus become so estranged from the family, from them, from _her_. But she can’t blame him - she had given him no reason to keep confiding in her. Even though they used to be best friends since they were little. She hadn’t given him the friendship he deserves, the friendship he probably needed. She-

‘Rose, are you ready for breakfast?’ Lily Luna’s head pokes into her dorm room. ‘Freddie and James are waiting for us in the common room.’

‘Yes!’ Rose answers her. ‘Let me just get something real quickly.’ 

Rose reaches into her trunk, her hands folding around a neatly packed package. She takes it out, very carefully, making sure not to shake it. The corners of her mouth slightly lift as she looks at the name tag, hoping with all her heart that it would bring the receiver a bit of Christmas joy. She smiles up at Lily Luna - who answers it with a broad smile of her own. 

‘You shouldn’t have!’ her little cousin says jokingly which Rose answers by rolling her eyes. 

‘Let’s go eat everything that our parents wouldn’t let us have for breakfast,’ Rose says before pressing a kiss to the crown of her Lily Luna’s head. 

* * *

Albus is trying his best to hide his face in his green and black scarf. He pulls his beanie over the top of his ears as much as possible, as he walks the path from the Forbidden Forest to the great doors of Hogwarts. The cold winter air is like a knife to his face, his cheeks and nose red and his eyes watering. 

He had been feeding some of the creatures that Hagrid had been taking care of. Now that winter has come some of them are struggling with finding food, so Albus had offered to help Hagrid in taking care of the creatures. He finds it calming to be around the creatures, they don’t look at him funny when he walks up to them. They know nothing of his trouble with time and with- 

He shudders. He still finds it hard to think back to the time he had spent with _her_. Travelling through time, trying to save Cedric for the greater good- or so he thought. He sighs as a tiny face pokes out of the chest pocket of his jacket. 

‘Hey Artemis,’ Albus whispers. ‘Are you doing okay in there?’ 

Hagrid had asked Albus to keep Artemis the Bowtruckle with him. The little one is suffering from a cold and needs body warmth to help nurture him back to health. Albus had visited the Bowtruckle tree a lot since the winter of his very first year at Hogwarts. It was his escape away from the madness of Hogwarts, he knew he wasn’t quite allowed to go into that part of the Forbidden Forest - but he didn’t exactly care. He just wanted to get away from the students, the teachers, the eyes following him around as he was walking through the halls. The whispers. 

Of course he had been caught, but not until the end of his second year. Hagrid had seen him sneak into the forest and had followed him. He had been stern, but understanding when Albus told him why he came there. Hagrid said it was quite special that the bowtruckles let the Slytherin boy come that close to their tree - for these bowtruckles had been known to be quite aggressive toward students. Hagrid had helped convince headmistress McGonagall to give him permission to visit the bowtruckle tree - but the bowtruckle tree only - and Hagrid had promised to keep an eye on him. 

He sighs as he walks through the great doors of Hogwarts, the warmth welcoming him back inside. He takes off his scarf and beanie and holds out his hand for Artemis to climb up on. The little bowtruckle is looking up at him expectantly as he shakes off one side of his coat. 

‘Alright buddy, you can go back in here.’

Albus lowers his hand to give the bowtruckle the chance to jump into the pocket of his green Slytherin hoodie. 

‘Albus!’ A familiar voice calls out to him. 

Albus looks up, finding Hugo standing near him.

‘Are you coming to have Christmas breakfast with us?’ Hugo asks as they walk over to their cousin, a big and welcoming smile on their face.

Just looking at his cousin made him think of the alternate universe Scorpius and him had been stuck in. The one without Hugo. Only when he returned to their own world, their own reality, he realised just how much brighter Hugo made his life. Just seeing the smile on their face made Albus feel calm, almost at home. There was something about them that made him feel at ease. He felt comfortable around his cousin. Hugo is very easygoing, always chipper and if you look over to them there’s always a smile on their face. Making it very easy for them to make friends and the teachers love them. 

They remind Albus of Lily Luna a lot, only Lily Luna had a tendency to cause mischief - which she always seemed to get away with. But Hugo didn’t. Together with Albus, Hugo was quite different from the rest of the cousins. Albus, Hugo and- 

Rose. 

A soft sigh escapes his lips as he brings his attention back to Hugo. When Albus nods his head as confirmation that he will be joining his family for Christmas breakfast, Hugo reaches out for him. Hesitating slightly before wrapping his arm around Albus’ waist. Squeezing him close as they look up at him, their smile so contagious, Albus can’t help but return a small smile before the both of them walk into the Great Hall. 

* * *

Albus takes the place opposed to Rose, next to Hugo and his big brother James. The latter poured him a cup of coffee as soon as he saw him walking up to the table, sliding it his way with a smile. Albus thanks him with his best smile, before holding the cup with both hands. He’s welcoming the warmth of the steaming coffee, the feeling in his fingers slowly returning as they warm up. He’s listening to his cousins talking, noticing the side glances from Lily Luna and James Sirius as Albus starts loading some toast on his plate. But never acknowledging them. He knows they mean well so he has decided to just let it go.

‘How is Artemis?’ Hugo asks, trying to take a peek into Albus’ pocket. ‘I haven’t seen him in a while.’ 

‘He’s been doing much better,’ Albus says, grateful his cousin asked him about something he can talk about. ‘He’s been hiding in my pocket a lot. I’m almost afraid he might get attached to me too much.’ 

‘He might not want to return to his tree anymore,’ Hugo says, softly laughing as Artemis pokes his head out of Albus’ pocket. 

Hugo holds up their hand, inviting the little bowtruckle to climb on top of it. After a quick look at Albus, Artemis climbs up on top of the young Granger-Weasley’s hand. For someone who isn’t really interested in the subject of Magical Creatures, Hugo sure is good when it comes to handling and taking care of them. 

‘Hello Artemis,’ Hugo says as they keep the bowtruckle up to their face.

‘Artemis?’ Rose asks, looking at the bowtruckle in Hugo’s hand. ‘Isn’t that Newton Scamander’s second name?’ 

Albus looks up at her, a surprised smile on his face as their eyes meet. Rose had been the first one to make the connection to Newt Scamander, one of the Magizoologists Albus looks up to the most. But it would also make sense because Albus remembers sharing every single thing he learned about Newt and his work with her when they were younger. He always used to fantasize that one day he will be working with Newt Scamander, now he knows it would be almost impossible, but Rose always encouraged him to not give up hope.

‘Yes, it is. I gave him the name the first time he got a cold and Hagrid asked me to look after him, that was quite a while ago.’

‘I like the name,’ Rose says, her smile careful but welcoming nonetheless. 

Hugo snorts. ‘Lorcan must love that considering it’s his second name.’

‘He keeps thanking me for naming Artemis “after him”. Saying it’s a great honour to have someone look up at him the way I do,’ Albus says and they laugh. 

‘Al- I mean, Albus. Do you have a moment? I- I just want to talk to you for a bit and I got you something,’ Rose says, her voice soft and careful. Almost afraid she might say the wrong thing, which she knows she does a lot. ‘It’s okay if you have to go. Don’t feel pressured to stay if you have somewhere to be. That’s okay.’

‘I have some time,’ Albus says as he sits back down at the wooden table.

He takes Artemis from Hugo’s hands, gently putting the Bowtruckle back in his pocket. The both of them watch as the rest of their cousins leave the Great Hall. 

He looks up at Rose and it’s the first time he notices the pin on her sweater. One that probably has been there ever since the start from the year and Albus can feel his face heat up. 

‘You made Head of Student Guidance. Headmistress McGonagall approved of your idea,’ he says, his eyes resting on the shiny pin in the colors of the four Hogwarts houses that’s pinned on her Weasley sweater. 

Rose looks down at the button with immense pride in her eyes. She had worked hard throughout her 2nd year to get McGonagall’s approval for her Student Guidance group. A group that helps guide students that need more help with their education, their mental health or various other difficulties they face during their school year. She had given it her all, but-

‘I didn’t know,’ Albus says softly. Not meeting her eyes, trying to hide the shame and guilt that lays in there for his cousin. ‘I missed it.’

But while Rose had worked her hardest to get the grades that she wanted, to perform well on the Quidditch team, take extra classes and set up the Student Guidance group, she had lost sight of something else that was important. While she was trying to help others, she failed to acknowledge one of the people that may have needed her help the most. 

‘There’s a lot of things that we didn’t know about each other,’ she whispers, trying to keep herself back from reaching for Albus’ hand on the table. ‘There’s a lot of things that we missed.’ 

Albus looks up, his eyes finally meeting Rose’s and for a moment there’s silence. There’s sadness in them, mirroring the sadness in the other's eyes. Hurt on their faces, not because they blame the other, but because they blame themselves. Blame themselves for not being there for the other, for growing apart, for forgetting the friendship that they once had. 

‘I’m so sorry, Albus.’ 

Rose is the first one to speak up, her voice breaking at the mention of her cousin’s name. She takes in a deep breath before continuing.

‘I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there for you during these years. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you in the way you probably needed me to be. I can’t imagine what it must have been like, I can’t imagine what you had to go through. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you,’ she says, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. ‘I was so determined to live up to my names, to live up to the standards that my parents, especially my mom, had set for me in their years at Hogwarts, that I lost track of something that is very important to me. Family. You’re my family Albus. You are-’ she pauses for a short second. ‘You _were_ my best friend.’ Her voice is barely a whisper.

‘I still am,’ Albus’ voice is quiet when he speaks up but after clearing his throat, it’s louder. ‘I know I said to you, on the train before our 4th year, that we were never friends and- I just- I’m sorry. It was harsh of me to say that and I know you meant well.’

‘It’s okay. There was a lot going on with your father and there was much more going on that I didn’t even know about. I was a lousy cousin and an even worse best friend. I don’t blame you at all for snapping at me. It’s what I deserved and-’ 

Albus wants to interrupt her, but she holds her hand up, flashing him a quick smile before continuing. 

‘I said your mother had sent my father an owl, because she was concerned about you and that’s the truth. But I was also concerned about you, Albus, and I genuinely wanted us to be able to talk more, to maybe hang out a bit again. I’m not asking you to talk to me about what happened, but I do want you to know that I am here whenever you want to talk. Not just about that, but about anything.’ 

‘There was a lot going on, that’s for sure, and even though I had Scorpius by my side, I missed you and-’ the realisation of Rose being gone in the other universe hitting him again, the way it had often done the past few weeks. 

‘You were gone,’ Albus’ voice is soft, barely a whisper. ‘When we changed time. You weren’t there and-’ he can feel his throat close up and he desperately tries to swallow the lump that’s forming in there.

‘I know,’ Rose whispers. ‘My mother told me little bits about that alternate universe. About me and Hugo not being born and mom and dad not being together.’

‘I’m so terribly sorry, Rose.’ 

When Albus looks up, there’s tears in his eyes. He’s wringing his hands together, desperately trying to keep himself from crying - trying to keep the tears from spilling down his cheek.

‘I’m sorry,’ Albus whispers, not sure what else he can say to make it better. 

He spends nights lying awake, the darkness of the night trying to swallow him whole. He’s struggling to hold onto the edges of reality, trying his best to keep himself from slipping and falling down into the pit of darkness that is his own mind. The shadows of those terrible worlds that he had created swirling around him. Lurking in the dark, always sneaking up on him, waiting for the slightest opening in the walls he had desperately tried to put up.

In those moments he always tries to think of the right words to say when he finds the courage to talk to his cousins again - especially Rose. But now, there was nothing. 

‘Hey,’ Rose takes his hands in hers. ‘Look at me.’ She gently tugs on his hands, trying to get his attention to her rather than letting him slowly get lost in his own thoughts of what had happened in the past months. ‘I’m right here, Al. It’s okay. I’m here.’

‘Thank you, Rose. I really missed spending time with you. I never quite felt like I fit in, in the family and with all of you guys. But with you that was different. But then everything changed and all of a sudden I didn’t fit with anyone anymore and that was- That was hard.’ 

‘Al, please listen to me. None of us are the same. I mean look at Hugo, our little ray of sunshine, how different they are from Molly - even though they are both in Hufflepuff. The difference between me, always studying and serious, and James and Freddie, who love to play pranks on everyone. We are all different in our own ways. You don’t have to be like others to be able to fit in and you will **always** fit in with us. No matter what happens.’ 

There’s a silence between the two of them in which Rose smiles at Albus, hoping that she said the right thing. That she was able to comfort him a bit the way she tried to. She breathes a sigh of relief when the slightest hint of a smile appears on Albus’ face.

‘And I really missed you too,’ Rose says before sitting up straight, remembering the package she had taken with her from her dorm. ‘I got you something!’ 

Albus gives her a funny look as he takes the package from her. ‘I didn’t get you anything.’ 

‘Don’t even worry about it,’ Rose says. ‘You can just give me double the presents for my birthday.’

Albus laughs softly. ‘Deal.’

He carefully starts unpacking the gift from Rose, trying not to rip the paper. His siblings Lily Luna and James Sirius would always tell him to hurry up with unpacking on Christmas day, but Rose is the exact same when unwrapping her gifts. He folds away the pieces of wrapping paper, revealing a box. Monopoly. 

‘Remember when we’d visit grandpa Arthur and we played this every Sunday afternoon when we visited them for over two years?’ Rose asks Albus, trying to find a hint of how he felt about her gift in his face. 

Albus looks at the box, a lump forming in his throat. He tries to clear it, trying to keep his tears back as he thinks back of those Sunday afternoons.How happy he felt during those games of Monopoly played with his grandfather and cousin. 

‘And we couldn’t figure out the rules. We tried for two months in a row to figure out how to play the game, with the little house pieces and all those rules-’

‘- and at one point grandpa Arthur set the rulebook on fire with his wand, told us we could never do that when we got our own wands, and then said we were going to make our own rules to play the game. He had no idea how the muggles were able to play a game with so many different rules,’ Rose adds to it and they laugh. 

‘It was the first time, and last time, I saw grandpa give up when it comes to finding out how something, made by muggles, works.’ 

‘I thought maybe you would like to play it together with Scorpius. Teach him the rules and ways of the game the way grandpa taught us.’ 

‘Thank you, Rosie. I really appreciate it.’

She can’t help but smile at hearing Albus call her ‘Rosie’ again and him not correcting her when she called him ‘Al’ earlier. Just like they used to call each other when they were little. 

‘Are you coming down with me to the Slytherin common room? Everyone’s going to be there, headmistress McGonagall gave us permission.’

Albus looks up at her, a surprised look on his face when hearing his family was going down to the Slytherin common room. Especially because his family mostly consists of students from other houses, except for Roxanne, she joined Slytherin a year after Albus got sorted there. 

‘James asked Headmistress McGonagall if it was okay to go down to the Slytherin common room to spend the rest of Christmas day together. He thought you might not have been comfortable with going up to the Gryffindor common room. He asked Scorpius if he wanted to join us as well.’

Albus lets out a relieved sigh, thankful for his older brother. He is not sure if he’d be able to go up to the Gryffindor common room and not be reminded of the time Scorpius and him spent in an alternate universe. An alternate universe where he was sorted into Gryffindor. He feared it was just going to be like going back to the Quidditch Pitch for the first time after- 

‘I’d like that,’ Albus says, trying to break the chain of thoughts that was setting off in his mind as he’s hugging the monopoly box to his chest. ‘Maybe we could play some monopoly? Teach the rest of the family how they play monopoly.’

A broad smile appears on Rose’s face, nodding enthusiastically. ‘We’ll show them the “right” way to play this game.’

* * *

For the rest of day the Weasley family, including Scorpius, spend their time in the Slytherin common room. Molly, Louis and Dominique had asked the house elves if it was alright if they made some Christmas treats, following their grandmothers recipes. Lily Luna, Hugo and Lucy had gathered every cushion they could find and made a nice place to sit for all of them near the fireplace. A fresh batch of their grandmother’s fudge was sitting on the table and all of them were wearing their Weasley sweaters. Rose had contacted her grandmother to ask if she could make one extra, to be worn by a certain blonde Slytherin who was invited to spend the day with the Weasley’s. Fred and James were showing muggle magic tricks that they had learned over the summer and Scorpius and Roxanne joined Rose and Albus in playing monopoly as soon as they took the game out. Roxanne had been begging from a young age to be included in playing the game but when she had gotten old enough to do so, they had stopped playing the game by that time. So she took the opportunity as soon as she saw it. 

Albus enjoyed having breakfast and spending Christmas day with his siblings and cousins a lot more than he expected to. And playing monopoly - their own version of monopoly - with Rose, Scorpius and Roxanne was some of the most fun he had in awhile. He had never quite felt like he fit in with his family, especially his cousins, but now he knew that maybe he didn’t have to be _like_ them to fit in _with_ them. The differences between them - the differences that makes each of them their own person - is what makes for great dynamics. He looks to the opposite side of the table, at his cousin Rose, a smile appearing on his face. He has no idea what the rest of his years at Hogwarts will look like. But he does know that better times are coming and he will welcome them with open arms.


End file.
